Telstra is continuing to restore its network after a nationwide outage on Wednesday was followed by a secondary issue affecting some voice calls, including calls to Triple Zero (000).
The initial outage began early Wednesday morning after a software fault affecting a critical network timing system disrupted mobile calls and data services across Australia. The incident also impacted EFTPOS terminals, public transport networks and emergency communications, causing widespread disruption for businesses and consumers. Telstra has confirmed the outage was not the result of a cyberattack.
While the primary fault has been resolved, Telstra said a secondary issue identified overnight continues to affect a small number of voice calls, including some attempts to contact Triple Zero. The company said the number of affected calls has been reduced by around 90 per cent, with engineers continuing to work towards a full resolution.
The ongoing disruption has prompted a federal investigation into the incident and renewed scrutiny of Australia’s critical communications infrastructure.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the outage demonstrated that “90 per cent is not enough. We need 100 per cent.”
Telstra Acting CEO Michael Ackland apologised to customers, saying, “We let customers down today in their hour of need. There’s nothing that makes that untrue for many of those customers who are in traumatic situations, and we apologise for that deeply. We take this incredibly seriously.”
Telstra has confirmed it is conducting welfare checks for customers whose Triple Zero calls may have been affected and has urged anyone unable to connect to emergency services to retry the call or use another available phone or network while the remaining issue is resolved.
The outage and subsequent network issue have reignited debate about the resilience of Australia’s communications infrastructure, with the disruption extending beyond telecommunications to affect transport services, payment systems and emergency response capabilities. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is expected to investigate both the cause of the outage and Telstra’s response as the company undertakes its own internal review.
